BioShock 2’s multiplayer is a bit of a guilty pleasure. It isn’t like other shooters at all. It may have similarities, but it’s unique blend of plasmids and traditional shooter weaponry results in some of the most interesting multiplayer games I’ve ever played. If only the technical issues would kindly step aside and let me enjoy it consistently.
Is it video lag or network lag? BioShock 2’s multiplayer has both. The netcode isn’t especially strong and the framerate isn’t all their either. These would be real deal breakers if it were any other shooter, but BioShock 2 multiplayer. For you see, it doesn’t matter if you’re a great shot or not. BioShock 2 allows the clever to reap more rewards than the twitch marksman.
I’ve accumulated nearly a day’s worth of Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer and I thought I would share some of my thoughts with the game. It’ll be brief and segmented for easy digestion.
Here goes:
Perks
Commando – This perk reminds me of the Plasma sword found in Halo 2; the lock on and teleportation towards the target. I feel the range for this is a smidgen too much
Marathon – Is there a reason why this couldn’t be “Extreme Conditioning”? If there’s one thing which highlights how arcadey Modern Warfare 2 is, it’s this perk.
Weapons
Akimbo – It’s a fun ability in any other game, but it feels so out of place in Modern Warfare 2. Especially when you pair up Model 1887 shotguns.
M16 – The M16 was my ‘Long Range’ weapon of choice in Call of Duty 4, but it is (understandably) less effective in Modern Warfare 2. What irks me about this weapon is the inability to actually hit someone from a great distance. I see them, but I can’t hit them with the M16’s bullets.
I don’t know why Electronic Arts is so insistent that they need a “Modern Warfare” game with the Medal of Honor title. They already have one with the Battlefield series.
This new Medal of Honor (sans subtitle) will be “the most authentic modern war experience” yet according to EA. The single player campaign will be handled by EA Los Angeles and DICE working their magic with multiplayer component. They’re planning to release this for Fall 2010 with more info to be unveiled at the 2009 Spike VGAs.
In the meantime, they’ve released this teaser of a guy with an epic beard. Santa?
Again, let me reiterate that EA/DICE will have at least two modern warfare themed shooters in 2010: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and now Medal of Honor. And if Battlefield 3 launches in 2010 as well; that’s a whole lot of modern warfare from one publisher.
More of the same.
Game changing alterations.
Deeper customization.
Easy to pick up.
It seems Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer is a bunch of contradictions that somehow ends up working out. After investing 12+ hours into multiplayer thus far, I feel comfortable with saying that it’s a better game overall.
Upon first pick up, I immediately noticed how much tighter the controls were. Locking onto to people seems effortless compared to the predecessor. They tweaked the acceleration of the reticle when aiming down sights, suppressed the amount of recoil and the end result is an even easier game to pick up and play.
Screenshots of this Wii port of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare were not flattering at all. It looks like a PSP game in some of those screenshots. We laughed and were all very skeptical about Treyarch’s porting capabilities. But after having seen some of the footage of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Reflex, I’m pleasantly surprised with how it looks. It’s not that bad.
It’s not that bad when you’re comparing a Youtube video of it against your memory, but once you stack it side by side? You can see the cuts they made. You can’t tell by the video, but the game is actually running at 30 FPS. Is it a huge loss? I don’t think so. Especially considering that if you’re really serious about Modern Warfare, you’ll be playing it on the HD consoles anyways.
Consider this an addendum to yesterday’s post. I’d normally post a little personal gaming tidbits at the end of these sorts of posts, but I didn’t want to muddle the KDS-50A2000 Yellow Stain edition with stuff like this. So what have I been playing lately?
Well it’s been primarily Forza Motorsport 3 with some Uncharted 2 multiplayer on the side. Forza 3 is a pleasure to play and I’ll be elaborating why later this week with a little write up.
Uncharted 2 continues to get play time because of its co-op. My brother and I have been working our way through the co-op scenarios on the “Hard” difficulty and let me tell you, they’re tough. There are only three traditional co-op campaigns and we’ve only managed to finish one. The other co-op mode, Survival, is simply “Horde” mode, but it works out well with two people. “Gold Rush” requires falters and fumbles with only two players on the map and thus we leave it by the wayside.
I continue to play the competitive multiplayer primarily for the Objective playlist. Pick up games are hit or miss, but I’m always learning and entertained through this playlist.
With these two titles occupying my time, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time lies waiting. I’m hearing a lot of good things about it, but I can’t seem to find the time to play it. I’d also like to play it on a proper HDTV. I was considering even trying out the game on my brother’s screen. We’ll see.
I doubt I’ll be receiving my copy of Modern Warfare 2 on launch day so, I may be able to squeeze in a playthrough.
Just when I thought they couldn’t ruin my perception of BioShock 2 anymore, they release more multiplayer footage.
“Check it out, kids! It’s “Capture the Sister”. It’s our own twist to the classic gametype.”
Really? They shouldn’t have. They really shouldn’t have. If they want to sell this game, they need to spend less time pimping their awful looking multiplayer and more time establishing a unique identity for the product as a whole. Because as of this moment, all I’m seeing is a design by committee sequel.
